


Nothing but Trouble

by LolaRD



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Aaron has a lot of secrets, Abduction, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward Sexual Situations, Bad Decisions, Betrayal, Borderline Personality Disorder, Childhood Trauma, Crimes & Criminals, False Identity, First Dates, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Infidelity, M/M, Mental Instability, OOC Aaron, Online Dating, Original Character(s), Past Drug Addiction, Past Torture, Pets, Russian Mafia, Secrets, Sins of the Father, Swearing, crazy ex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:40:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 21,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29856171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LolaRD/pseuds/LolaRD
Summary: Aaron is rescued from the abusive hands of his father by an unlikely person. Aaron is raised very different from canon. He’s smart and a smart mouth. While his exterior facade fools some it doesn’t fool everyone. There is also a foul-mouthed Parrot and a annoying bloke who just wants to be his friend. Traumas of his past keep making appearances. Then lastly he just can’t get a certain blond out of his head.
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Comments: 160
Kudos: 184





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure anyone will even like this. But I thought I would share it. TRIGGER Warning this chapter talks about Aaron’s childhood abuse.

“Your simple-minded cousin just kidnapped our son,” Gordon shouted at her. Dancers were all around her and the music blaring, she couldn’t barely hear him.

Chas wasn’t following what was going on. “What are you going on about? Sammy?”

“No. The big redheaded one.”

“Butch?” He wasn’t simple-minded, just sensitive and caring.

Chas was stripping in Leeds when Gordon had hunted her down. She had left him and Aaron weeks ago, just after his birthday. She couldn’t do it anymore. She was making everyone’s lives miserable. It was best for Aaron to just be raised by Gordon.

“I guess, one of your uncle Zak’s losers.” Gordon never did like her family, he thought they were liars and thieves.

“What do you mean Butch kidnapped Aaron?”

“Aaron’s gone, his clothes and Mr. Bear are gone with him, he never goes anywhere without that stupid bear.”

“Did you ring the police? How do you know it was Butch?” Her heart was beating out of control. Where was her baby? Who had him?

“I didn’t want to cause trouble; I just want my son back.”

“How do you know it was Butch?” she asked again. A dancer bumped into her, but she barely noticed.

“This,” Gordon said, holding up a voice recorder. “This was on my answering machine when I got home.”

**_This is Gordon and Aaron please- Hello?_ **

“That’s Aaron,” Chas said. Gordon nodded and continued to play.

**_ You rang me, kid. Who is this? _ **

**_Aaron, Aaron Livsey._ **

“I don’t remember a lot of your lost family members but that’s Butch, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is.” She couldn’t believe that Butch would take Aaron.

“Maybe Aaron asked him to come and get him. Did you two have a row?”

“Why would my son ask a near stranger to come and get him?”

Chas looked at Gordon. “I can only think of one reason.”

“What’s that?”

“I gave Aaron Zak’s number. I told him if he’s ever scared or needed help to reach out and someone would be there to come help him.”

“You have one day to get my son back before the police get involved. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, I understand.” She would have to go to Emmerdale to see her family. She hadn’t been because she didn’t want the judgment. Leaving her son was a very un-Dingle like thing to do. But she knew Butch, he wouldn’t have taken Aaron without a reason.

Everything went to hell after that, it was the worst time of her life. Butch and Aaron weren’t found the next day and Gordon followed through and got the police involved. The police treated Aaron’s room like a crime scene. It was that way they found evidence of the hell her son lived through.

Blood on pyjamas, thrown away in the bin. There was also DNA of another person, semen. Semen on her baby’s pyjamas. Gordon tried in the beginning to blame that on Butch too. Police tested Gordon’s DNA first. It was Gordon’s. He never admitted to what he did, but the evidence was stacked against him. There were two schools of thought about what happened the day after Aaron was attacked. First one was that Gordon came home to find Butch leaving with Aaron and killed them both. That one she couldn’t live with. The other one was the one she hoped for, that Butch took Aaron and ran away because he was scared the authorities wouldn’t believe Aaron and give him back.

Dingles take care of their own. She just wished that Butch would have gotten a hold of them, so they could tell him it was safe to bring Aaron home. She wished Aaron had reached out to her when he needed help, but she didn’t have a fixed residence at the time. She thought it was best to give him Zak’s. She was glad he was able to get someone. What if he had never made the call? What if he just lived with the abuse for years? What kind of damage would that do to him? What kind of damage had that already done to him? Now she had questions about what kind of man he grew up as. With Butch raising him she had no doubt it was a kind one. Butch was always the sensitive one, Zak tried to bully that out of him, but a little part of Butch was always the boy with the flowers to her.

Today was Aaron’s 22nd birthday and the Dingles were having a little party for him. They all believed like she did that Butch had rescued Aaron and one day they would come home. After all, Gordon was no longer in the shadows. He topped himself in prison after being labelled a paedophile. Apparently, life in prison was hell for him after that and it was easier for him to just end it. She didn’t care, she hated him with the passion of a thousand burning fires.

Butch taking Aaron brought them back to being a family again, as strange as that sounded. Cain, Charity and Shadrach all showed up in the village in the aftermath. Finding out Cain was Zak’s son was hard on everyone. They found out later that Cain and Charity had a daughter when they were young, one Cain never knew about. Her name was Debbie, and she was a hard worker. Seeing Debs made her long to see her son. What would he look like now? Is he married? Did he have children? He was always such a smart lad, she wondered what he was doing now.

They had hired many private investigators to look for Aaron and Butch, but they never found anything. Whatever Butch did to hide them worked. Years ago, she told the police that while she didn’t give Butch permission to take Aaron, he had her backing to do anything he could to protect him. She wanted to make sure that if he was ever caught, he wouldn’t do time.

“Aaron,” Chas said holding up her glass.

“Aaron,” everyone in the pub chorused, raising their glasses.

“Wow, guest of honour and no one even told me.”

Everyone turned to the new voice at the door. She would know him anywhere, that cheeky smile.

“Hiya.”

She was stunned still but she noticed he wasn’t alone. He had three little girls and a little boy with him. The kids looked like they ranged from twelve down to about four. Two of the little girls had bright red hair. They were definitely Butch’s kids.

“Aaron,” she said breathlessly before rushing to him.

He let her hug him but didn’t return it. She wondered if he still hated her for leaving him alone with Gordon, she would blame herself for eternity.

“Yeah. Is Dad here yet?” he asked.

“Oh, luv,” she started to cry. “Gordon- “

He cut her off. “I mean Francis.”

“Butch? Umm, no, he’s not here. Is he on his way?” she asked.

“Yeah, we got split up, we were supposed to meet here.”

“Our Butch is on his way home?” Zak asked, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

“Look, this is just our meeting point. Once he gets here, we’ll be on our way.”

“No, you don’t have to leave so soon, do you? Do you know who I am?” she asked.

“My birthmother. Look, I don’t know what you are expecting but if it’s some happy family reunion, soz, that isn’t gonna happen.”

“Aaron, I’m hungry,” the little boy of about eight said.

“Alright, since I don’t know when he’s going to be limping his sorry arse in here, we’ll get something to eat.”

Aaron grabbed a menu from a nearby table and looked it over.

“Two hamburgers and chips, Caesar salad with chicken and a cheese rollup.”

“Is that enough? It’s on the house,” she said.

“Nah, we pay our own way. Don’t take nothing from nobody, let’s just say, it’s a family motto.”

The older girl giggled. “You got that right.”

Aaron’s accent was more on the Yorkshire side, but the kids were a mix of several different dialects. It spoke to them moving around loads. Running.

“Luv, Gordon’s gone. The police aren’t looking for you or Butch. It’s safe to come home.”

Aaron laughed mirthlessly. “Do you really think this is about a simple kidnap over a decade ago? Sorry to burst your bubble but no one cares about that anymore. That was like six international incidents ago. Off topic, are there any cops here?”

Chas looked around, there wasn’t any cops in their little village, they all lived in Hotten.

“No. Why? Who are you running from?” Cain asked.

Cain had been just as broken when they found out what nightmare Aaron lived through.

“Sorry, mate, that’s need-to-know information and you don’t need to know.”

Her son was a smart mouth, good to see some things hadn’t changed. He had always been a gobby little thing. Even when he was learning to talk.

The door opened again, and a familiar face entered, he was limping, had two more children with him around eight and ten.

“Butch,” Zak said before getting up and going to his son.

“Hiya, Dad, everything, all right?”

“It’s past time you came home son,” Zak said, bringing Butch into a hug. Butch looked a little misty eyed.

“Yeah, about that. We can’t stay,” Butch said apologetically.

“Butch,” she said forcefully.

He looked up and saw her. “Chas. I’m so sorry. When I took him all I could think was to protect him.”

“Not here, come around back,” she told him. This was a conversation that was just meant for the two of them.

Once they were alone in the back, she didn’t really know where to start.

“Do you hate me?” he asked.

“You protected my son when I couldn’t. No, I don’t hate you. I wish you would’ve come back but I understand you were scared. Did he have a good life?” She left Aaron, while she would forever hate herself, she couldn’t hate Butch for saving him.

“It’s been an adventure.” He was smiling lightly.

“How many kids do you have?” she asked, thinking about all the kids out in the pub.

“Six including Aaron.”

“I counted seven including Aaron.”

“Mine are Heather, Iris, Sunny, Lily, Sage and of course Aaron.”

She didn’t know how she felt about him claiming Aaron as his own, but he had raised him.

“What about the other one? Family friend?”

“That’s Adelaide but we call her Addy. She’s my granddaughter.”

There was only one of the kids that came in with Aaron old enough to have a child, and that was Aaron.

“She’s Aaron’s?”

“Yeah. We need to leave, Chas. We’ve made an enemy that wants one of us dead.”

“Who?”

“Aaron. All he had to do was keep his gob shut and the deal would be done. But he’s never one to let someone get one over on him.”

“What happened?”

“Let’s just say he fucked someone he shouldn’t have.”

Well, Aaron was her son after all. She was with so many bad partners that it was hard to keep them straight.

“Just stay here, we can protect you all. You can’t just keep on the run with so many little ones. They need a home and stability. Oak Lea is up for sale, I don’t expect you to be able to afford it but maybe if we all pitched in together it’ll be enough for a down payment.”

“We’ve got plenty of money.”

“Really? How?”

“We’ve been lucky with some investments. If you really want us to stay, you need to know some things about Aaron.”

“I don’t care, there is nothing you can say that’ll make me not want him in my life. I made a huge mistake when he was little, and he paid the price.”

“That’s the first thing, when I got to Gordon’s I found a little boy hiding his pyjamas in the rubbish bin. He was so broken and hurt and not just physically. I wanted to kill Gordon myself but protecting Aaron was top on my to-do list. I panicked and I admit that we were crossing over into France before I knew it. I was terrified that I would get arrested and they wouldn’t believe us about Gordon. A year later I met my wife, then we started our family. Aaron has a lot of trust issues. He’s gobby sometimes and then can go a week without saying a word. Because of what happened with Gordon he has behavioural issues. He’ll keep some secrets until he dies but he also loves to shock people with the truth. He’s not shy about his love life and will tell you in detail, so I just ignore it.”

“Wow.”

“I think that’s a part of what Gordon did and somethings that happened when he was a teenager. He’s a handful, I love him and he’s my son, but I know he’s yours too. I made a lot of mistakes, but I think he’s one of my best mistakes.”

She smiled; she could feel Butch’s love for her son. “I understand. So, you’ll stay?”

“Yeah, I guess we have to stop moving around some time.”

“Was it always running?”

“No, I stopped running when I read that Gordon was dead.”

“You knew?”

“Yes.”

“Then why didn’t you come back then? Or at least ring us?”

He laughed. “That is a story for another time. Let’s break it to the kids. The little ones will be ecstatic, Aaron will be another story. He’s a man now and if he wants to leave, I can’t stop him.”

“I bloody well can.”

She was back in the pub and the food had just been put on the table. “Alright, I want introductions,” she said to Butch.

“Right, well, guess you know the mouthpiece,” Butch said as Aaron glared at him. “Then there is Heather, she’s the older redhead, she’s eleven. Then there is Iris, the blonde next in line, she’s ten. Sage, he’s eight. The youngest redhead is Sunny, she’s five. Then the baby, Lily, she’s four. Last but definitely not least is my granddaughter Addy, she’s seven.”

“Seven?” she asked. How old had Aaron been when she was born?

“Fourteen,” Aaron answered her unasked question.

“Oh, that’s so young, luv,” she couldn’t help but say.

“We’re raising her because that’s what we decided as a family. We never wanted to lie to her, so she knows the truth, but she’ll stay with us if Aaron leaves,” Butch said.

Addy giggled and nodded her head while Aaron rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, well, questioning your sexuality will make you do dumb things.”

“Aaron, please, if you’re going to say what I know you are, gently, alright?” Butch said.

“What do you mean by that?” Cain asked Aaron.

“I’m gay, mate.” There was a hard look on his face, like he was ready to fight about it.

“Gay? A little gay like Charity or a lot like Paul Lambert?” Sam asked.

Just as Val was about to speak up, Aaron beat her too it. “Like a lot. Like I’ve been in a four way and there was no bird to be seen”

Every jaw dropped except for Butch and the kids. Butch was just shaking his head like it was too much, and the kids were giggling.

“Told ya, he likes to shock with the truth. That’s one of the good things about Aaron, he’ll either tell you the truth or just not say anything,” Butch said.

The door opened again and a woman who looked like she had been dragged through a hurricane walked in.

“Mummy,” the littlest cried, jumping up and running to the woman.

“Hello, luv, go finish your food.” The woman’s eyes search around and then she zeroed in on Aaron.

“You horrible, rotten, evil little tosser,” she roared before crossing over and smacking Aaron…hard.

Chas was ready to beat the woman with her high heel shoe. But Butch got in between them, then all she heard was Aaron laughing.

“What? I had the kids with me. I couldn’t bring it,” he said, still laughing.

“You could have at least told me you stashed two kilos of cocaine in my bag!” Her face was red, and she looked like she would hit him again.

“Hey, you knew the rules, the one that doesn’t have the kids with them is the mule. It’s not like you got caught, you wouldn’t be here if you did,” Aaron said.

“Your moving drugs?” Lisa asked, her heart looked to be breaking.

“Usually, it isn’t drugs. We got into a sticky situation in Bolivia, Aaron had to make a few deals,” Butch said.

“How’d you get out of it? I hope you didn’t get personal with the border agent; he was a right minger,” Aaron said.

“Let’s just say, I made do with what I had. But you little boy are going to get it when we get to Portsmouth.”

“I think we should stay here. It’ll be good for the children,” Butch said.

“What children? Our children? I don’t think so,” the wife said.

“It’ll be good for them and I think it’s what Aaron needs. If he doesn’t find a place in the world for him, he’ll just keep spinning.”

“I am right here. Don’t I have a choice in this? Dan is waiting for me in Portsmouth.”

“You can get another hook-up,” the wife said.

“Yeah, but I liked him,” Aaron said.

“Then he definitely wasn’t a good bloke,” the wife said.

“That’s rich coming from you. Fine, if we’re going to do this, I need to make the drop.” Aaron grabbed her bags and pulled out a very suspicious smaller bag. “I just hope this wasn’t up anywhere gross,” he said making a face.

“No one will find your body,” she snarled.

Aaron laughed and was out the door a moment later.

“Where’s he going?” Chas asked.

“London. He’ll be back tomorrow unless he runs into trouble, which he always does, so let’s say a week,” Butch said.

“Aren’t you worried?” she asked.

“About Aaron? That’s a no,” Butch said.

“Why?”

“Aaron’s…” Butch seemed to be having trouble finishing that sentence.

“Mad as a hatter,” the oldest girl said.

“Watch it, you,” Butch said. “But she’s right. Aaron will be fine; he’s been doing this stuff since he was Heather’s age.”

“Does that mean I get to start helping?” Heather, the oldest girl, asked brightly.

“I don’t think so, Aaron did most of this behind our back. Which is why Sage was born in a hut in Mongolia. He’s forever getting us into trouble,” the wife said.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy people are liking this. I wasn't sure because it's going to be some OOC Aaron. Thanks for reading.

“It’s good to have you home,” his dad said again.

Butch just smiled, it felt awkward to be honest. Jacqui thought they were already strong-arming him and he couldn’t really deny it. His dad had always had this control over him. But he was doing this for Aaron, he needed the stability, he was a bit of a lose wire. It started the day he took him. It wasn’t until later Butch realized what a mistake, he made doing that. He should have taken him straight to the police or Chas, but he was so angry.

“Dad, can I get a ham and cheese sandwich?” Addy asked.

“Sure, baby, take your brother and sisters,” he told her handing her some bills. She ran to Heather and gave her the money.

“She calls you dad?” Chas asked.

“Yes. Like I said last night, she knows Aaron’s her father, but he’s never been a father figure to her, an annoying older brother more or less. When she was born Aaron told us he didn’t want to be a father, we understood that he was young. There was only one thing he wanted, for us not to ever lie to her. So, she’s always known that Aaron is her biological father, but she knows me and Jacqui as her parents. Her conception wasn’t two stupid kids experimenting. That’s all I’m going to say. It was very traumatic to Aaron and he doesn’t want to have her depend on him.”

Chas looked like she wanted to argue but he gave her a look. This wasn’t his secret to tell. Aaron would tell somethings to shock people but not the things that hurt him. There was no way he would want Butch telling people about that.

They had stayed in the B&B last night. Jacqui was meeting with the realtor about buying Oak Lea. It was barely big enough for his family, but it could work. The only one of the kids that needed a room to themselves was Aaron, and he suspected Chas would be after him to stay with her.

“Tell me about my son.”

Looking around he noticed that his dad had left, sometimes he was in a world of his own. It had been easy to lose himself in the goings around him. Sitting down at a table outside of the pub, he invited her to join him with his hand. He wasn’t the same Butch that had left all those years ago. He grew up. While he missed Emily, his heart belonged to Jacqui, she was a fighter.

“Where do you want me to start?”

“How did he cope with what Gordon did to him?”

A bird flew overhead, and he watched it fly into the distance. He knew this was a question he would have to answer. It wasn’t like she didn’t know about what Gordon had done. He had done his best to keep abreast of everything going on. Sadly, everything had gone tits up in France. On the ferry to France, where they were checking passports. He didn’t have his and didn’t have Aaron’s either, so he knew he was in trouble. Turns out, he may not be the fastest thinking Dingle, but he can do well on his feet when he needs it.

That was the first deal he made, he had to smuggle some exotic birds from Italy to Portugal. In France he was able to get fake credentials for him and Aaron. That was their first fake identities, Thomas and Geoffrey Barnes. He had to make Aaron lie and for that he felt like rubbish, but it was all to save Aaron from Gordon.

Aaron got attached to the birds which was sad because they were going to some scary looking blokes in a shipping yard. They were on their second set of identities when he found out Gordon was dead. When he learned they arrested Gordon the plan was to take Aaron back because then he could get the help he so desperately needed. There were nights still a year later that he would wake up crying and gasping for air. But Butch was too scared they would make Aaron testify and he didn’t think he could handle seeing Gordon again.

It wasn’t long after that he met Jacqui and Aaron was attached to her from the start. Jacqui wasn’t exactly sweet and innocent, more like fire and hot rage. He didn’t find out until later that her father was an infamous Russian crime lord, Pavel Bagrov. Butch knew to keep that quiet because people die if your lips get a little too lose. There was also the fact that Aaron was Pavel’s favourite grandchild, which was funny because he was the only one not blood. It worried him how much time Aaron spent in Omsk with Pavel. The first time was when Aaron was twelve because Butch and Jacqui were having trouble with a poorly Heather. Aaron had such a close relationship with Pavel that he didn’t worry but when they got Aaron back, he was a different kid.

He was quiet and sullen, reminding Butch of what he was like after he took him from Gordon’s. He remembered asking Aaron if anyone hurt him while he was at Pavel’s compound, but Aaron shut him down and said no one touches him. Butch didn’t like that answer but then Jacqui spoke to her father. Turns out Aaron followed around one of Pavel’s men like a lost puppy. The bloke told him to get lost and after that Aaron shut himself up in his room and refused to leave. Now Butch could see it for what it was, Aaron had a little crush on the bloke, an apt name since Aaron had been crushed when the man told him to leave him alone. Butch had forgotten what it was like to be that age and think you would live or die by what someone thought of you.

After that, Aaron went off the rails big time. When Butch found out that Pavel was training Aaron to take over the business after he died, to say he was furious was an understatement. Jacqui and Butch finally got it through to Pavel that he wasn’t allowed to make Aaron a criminal. But by the time Aaron was thirteen he was already a bagman. It was just a losing game after that to keep Aaron under control. It put him in positions that he never should have been in and one consequence was Addy’s conception. He failed Aaron because he let him have too much freedom when he was a teenager. While he trusted Aaron, he didn’t know the type of people around him, people who use and abuse. It was just so hard because he knew he was keeping him from his mum for his own selfish reasons. When Chas finds out why he really didn’t come back after he found out about Gordon’s death, she was going to kill him.

* * *

“Do you have to go home?” Aaron asked. The expensive champagne sat to one side of the bed; Robert had surprised him with it when he arrived.

“Not tonight, she thinks I’m away on business.”

“Don’t you work for your soon-to-be-father-in-law?”

“Yeah, but he did send me away for business, I just finished quickly.”

“I hope that’s the only think you finish quickly with,” Aaron said, grabbing Robert and pulling him down.

When he met Robert Sugden, they were both trying their best to get a bloke to a leave pub. Robert had wanted to bed the bloke, Aaron wanted to steal his hotel key and get in his hotel room. What happened next was a very interesting three-way but when Robert and the bloke were showering together, he stole what he came for and bunked off. It wasn’t until later he realised, he forgotten his own hotel key card. It was such a rookie move he was ashamed of himself.

Robert showed up at his hotel and saw him in the lobby. Aaron invited him up to his room and that was the start of their affair. Robert had just started a new job and they celebrated together. But Robert didn’t want a relationship and that was good for Aaron. After all, if he and Robert were together the older man would ask too many questions about his profession and constant disappearances.

Aaron climbed over Robert, looking down at his blue eyes. “I love you, you know that, right?” Aaron said.

“You’re too soft.”

“Nah, mate, check again.”

Robert laughed and hooked his legs around Aaron’s legs and rolled him, so Aaron’s back was on the bed with Robert over him now.

Later, they were resting, and Aaron could feel his eyelids grow heavy. Being in Robert’s arms felt amazing.

“We have to end this soon,” Robert said, shifting beside him, causing Aaron to feel cold air on his skin.

That woke Aaron up more, he turned and looked at Robert. They had this on/off again thing for years now. It didn’t make much sense to him to stop. Robert never said anything about ending it before now.

“Why?” He ran his hand over Robert’s chest.

“I’m getting married, I can’t keep this up. Chrissie is asking questions and Lawrence is looking for a reason to get her to leave me. I’ve worked too hard for this to fall apart now.”

“I’ve been with you longer than she has.”

“Don’t start this again. You know I don’t feel the same about you as I do her.”

“You’re right. You love me and you’re using her.”

Robert got out of bed; Aaron could see he crossed a line, but he didn’t care. Grabbing his suitcase, Robert pulled out his toiletry bag. “I’m going to shower now. I want you gone before I finish.”

“Whatever. It’s not like this can continue anyway. My family is moving, and they want me to settle down. I guess it’s time to find a bloke that doesn’t have a wife.”

“You’re moving? I thought you didn’t have a place to live?”

“We don’t, not really but my dad’s family all lives in a small village and my biological mother wants us to stay there.”

Robert looked at him strangely. “I thought you didn’t want to settle down. That you liked this thing we had.”

Aaron shook his head. “But you’re not offering that anymore, right? You want your wife and happy families.”

“I’m not dealing with your drama today; I’ve got too much to do.”

“Right, I’ve got to make a drop off anyway.”

“Do you have drugs in my hotel room?” Robert went to Aaron’s bag and started throwing things out of it. Finally, he found what he was looking for. “Are you crazy? Listen to me, of course you are. Get out!”

Aaron was already getting dressed, he didn’t need the self-righteous act from a bloke cheating on his fiancée with anyone with a pulse. Even after years of this thing with Robert he still felt he didn’t know the older man. At first it was just sex; he had met Robert while he was working. He should have ended this after he found out he didn’t want to be in a relationship with a bloke. Grabbing his stuff from Robert he shoved it back in the travel bag.

“Fine, hopefully Emmerdale has a bloke that at least wants me.” He was out the door before Robert could reply. There was nothing he wanted more than to go to his fiancée and tell her, but he wouldn’t. He wasn’t that spiteful.


	3. Chapter 3

“I thought you said he would be back within the week?” Chas asked Butch. It had been two months since they had seen Aaron and Butch didn’t seem worried at all.

“Like I told you, this will be our first attempt to stay in one place. He’s not used to checking in. Once we didn’t see him for a year. Fairly sure he was in Dubai but that’s just a guess because he speaks a bit of Arabic now.”

“He knows another language?” She was kind of proud of that.

“Aaron is fluent in five languages, can speak enough in four others to get by and two very brokenly.”

“Really?” She was shocked. He was a funny kid when he was little but wasn’t a little learner.

“Don’t sound so shocked. You have no idea what you can learn when your trapped in a Polynesian jail with no identity.”

“How did he get released?” she asked, horrified.

“Let’s just say he probably can’t go to Tahiti anymore. We weren’t joking, Aaron is a little mad. I blame myself for most of it, I didn’t get him help with Gordon’s abuse and some other things. Because of that, he found other unhealthy coping mechanisms and now he’s set in his ways. He’ll show back up, just be prepared when he does, it’ll probably be…weird.”

“What does that mean?”

“Last time I didn’t see him for a few months he showed back up with a bloke that was covered in head-to-toe tattoos.”

“He has a boyfriend?”

“No, Aaron doesn’t do boyfriends, he was just trying to get me to say something. I disappointed him and welcomed the bloke; he was gone the next day. If I were to guess, Aaron went to Omsk to see his grandfather. Then he’ll get back to Britain and pick up Jason and should be on his way here.”

“Who’s Jason?”

“There is no word to describe Jason. You’ll have to wait to meet him.”

Jealousy ate at her big time. While she would be forever grateful her son was protected from Gordon but why couldn’t he bring him back. She didn’t realize how much she wanted to be his mum until after she left. Somethings you can’t take back. She didn’t want the responsibility of raising a child and boy did she get what she asked for. All she wanted to do after finding out about Gordon was cuddle her baby. But he wasn’t a baby anymore and he didn’t look to her for comfort. He called another woman mum and Butch was his dad now. What did that make her?

“You said when you got here that someone was after Aaron. Could they have gotten him?”

“It’s possible but they would have probably sent us some part of his body to prove he’s dead.”

“How can you talk about it so casually?”

“Because I know my son. He’s a fighter. It will take more than a scorned wife to kill him.”

“He has a wife?”

“Not his. He had this thing with a married man, let’s say the bloke is powerful. The wife found them in her bed, she wasn’t happy.”

“No kidding.”

“She’s put a hit out on him but I’m sure he can get out of it. She’s furious with her husband but can’t kill him so she’s taking the anger out on Aaron. I’m sure she’ll get over it, Aaron just needs to lie low for a while.”

Chas shook her head. “I don’t understand. Why would he sleep with a married man?”

Butch laughed, she didn’t like that. “You can introduce Aaron to Prince Charming and he’ll run off with the Big Bad Wolf. He likes the danger or knowing he shouldn’t be with someone.”

“Why?”

“I’m sure a psychologist could tell you, but I just assumed it was Aaron’s type.” There was screaming from upstairs so Butch went up to see what was going on.

They were in Oak Lea, the owner wanted to off load it quick. Her eyes locked on Addy as she came downstairs. She didn’t look much like Aaron except her eyes. She had blonde shoulder-length hair and dimples. She was darling. Chas noticed she had a strawberry birthmark on her neck.

“Hi,” Addy said quietly.

There was a thud from upstairs and more screaming.

“Hello to you. How are you liking our little village?”

“I miss Aaron.”

“I do too.”

“Dad said you are Aaron’s mum.” Addy was rubbing her hands together, Chas wondered if that was a way to comfort herself.

“I am. I haven’t seen him in an awfully long time.”

“He’s my dad but not really.”

“Why do you say that?”

“He doesn’t like me.”

She didn’t believe that. “Why do you say that?”

“Because of my birth mum.”

Before she could answer there was a chorus of stomping down the stairs.

“I don’t care who started it,” Butch said, he was following three of his children, the younger ones.

“Aww Dad,” the boy, Sage, whined.

“Go in there and eat. I didn’t make enough breakfast to feed an army for you not to eat.” All the kids ran into the kitchen including Addy. She knew Butch wouldn’t tell her about Addy’s mother so she would stay away from that, at least until she spoke with Aaron.

“What about school? Did he go to school?” It was hard to believe if they moved around so often.

“Home-schooled. We’ve been talking and I think we’re going to sign the other kids up for school. They’ve all been wanting to make friends. Aaron did really well with home-schooling, but he never cared to make friends.”

That wasn’t the kind of life she wanted for her son. Moving around, having no place to call home. No mates. No relationships beyond hook-ups. Then there was whatever happened that led to Addy’s birth. Why would that darling little girl think that Aaron hated her?

* * *

“Fuck Face.”

Aaron laughed. His dad was going to kill him, it seemed Jason learned a new phrase staying with Peter. He had promised his dad not to teach Jason anymore swearing. “Shut it, Jason.”

“Shut it, Aaron.”

He couldn’t wait to see what the small village thought of a swearing African Grey Parrot.

Jason was the only friend he needed. His dad was always on him to go out and to get mates, not hook-ups. There wasn’t a reason he should bother with putting up with someone who he probably couldn’t stand. Chitchat seemed like hell to him. All he needed was his swearing parrot and his box of tricks.

“Aaron bad.”

“I can roast you over an open fire,” he said, looking next to him. Jason was in his cage, but he hates his cage. That would be a good thing about living in one place, Jason could fly free for a while. His mobile rang. “Quiet,” he told Jason. “Hello?”

“Hey, kiddo.”

“Hi, Dad. All right?”

“Your mother is asking questions about Addy.”

“My mother knows about Addy.”

There was only one woman that was his mother, and it wasn’t Chas Dingle. He wasn’t going to get into this right now.

“I know you’re still cross, but you can’t keep this up. She loves you.”

“If she loved me, she wouldn’t have left me. I’m going through a tunnel, talk to you later.” He disconnected the call.

There wasn’t any sense arguing with his dad. They’ve been over and over this in the past. If he wanted to be with his birthmother he would be, his dad gave him chances to go to Chas, but he didn’t want it. He was eight years old, and she left him without looking back. Not one visit or call, nothing but radio silence from her. The only reason he agreed to this was because his dad missed his family. Chas wasn’t his mother; he didn’t care what she thought. Fuck her.


	4. Chapter 4

“I’m not sure this is the best idea,” Chrissie said. Her high heels clicked on the stone walk.

“It’s too late now,” he told her.

Lawrence had purchased Home Farm in Emmerdale with a little manipulation on Robert’s part. Chrissie was a city person, but she had agreed that may be the move that Lachlan needed. Lachlan, Chrissie’s fourteen-year-old son had been having ‘issues’. His soon-to-be-stepson was a bit of a creep, it wouldn’t end well if his mum kept thinking of him as her little darling.

“I thought you never wanted to move back here, why the change?” Chrissie asked him.

He couldn’t tell her the real reason, that his sometimes lover was now living in the village and this would make it easier to be with him. Before he would only see Aaron when he was coming through the city and that was so sporadic at best. He got on well with Aaron, except for Aaron’s flare for the dramatic. Why Aaron wanted to live in Emmerdale was a mystery to him because he wasn’t the farming village type.

There was a little thrill about being able to learn more about his mysterious lover. Aaron had always been very tight-lipped about his life. When he first met him, they were going after the same bloke. When Robert and the other bloke got out of the shower Aaron had scarpered. It wasn’t until the bloke started yelling in Russian before he realized Aaron had stolen something from the screaming man. Robert grabbed his things and quickly got dressed, just as he was going to leave, he caught the sight of a hotel key card for another hotel. Knowing it had to be Aaron’s he grabbed it and went to the hotel hoping to see the other man.

While the Russian had been more his type, the reason he hit on him first, Aaron had been the fire in bed. He wanted more of him and hoped to have just that. They did spend the rest of the night together but when he awoke the next morning, Aaron was gone again with all his belongings gone too. It wasn’t until later he found out that Aaron had left his number on his mobile. After that they got together anytime Aaron was in the area.

It was time to let his sister know he was in the village. She would be cross with him for not telling her, but she would get over it. Since he knew she worked over at the pub that’s where he went looking for her. Inside were most of the Dingles. Didn’t any of them have jobs? He couldn’t think of anything worse than being a part of that family. They were drunk, thieves and apathetic, every last one of them. Andy had gotten sucked into the whole mess and fathered two of them.

A familiar face walked past him, and it caused him pause. He had been young when everything happened, but he remembered it. Almost fourteen if he remembered correctly. It was a scandal in the village. Butch Dingle had disappeared taking Chas’ son with him. It was before Chas had even moved to the village. She had moved to the village after the disappearance and even he remembered the trial. Apparently, Chas’ ex did unspeakable acts to their son. The boy had rung the Dingles and reached out to Butch. Butch was gone after that. People didn’t speak about it much in front of him, his dad tried to keep all that ugliness away from him, Andy and Vic. He had heard a lot anyway because the village was full of gossips.

Watching Butch walk around freely in the pub now he guessed he had missed something big. Vic came from the kitchen and spotted him right away.

She squealed and rushed to him. “I’m so glad you’re home.” She ingulfed him in a hug. She was still tiny, but her personality made up for it.

“Had to happen sometime,” he said, breaking away from her.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him to a booth, forcing him to sit before sitting next to him.

“Tell me everything. How is Chrissie enjoying Emmerdale? You’re going to be nice to Andy, right? What made you come home?”

“That’s a lot of questions. She’s liking it fine. I’ll be nice as I can. Just thought it was time.”

“It’s the best news I’ve had in a long time. I miss my family.”

Robert listened to her gush and go on about things he wasn’t interested in. But then he heard her say Butch’s name and he was curious how he came back.

“What was that about Butch?” he asked, not loud enough for others to hear him.

“He’s back. Can you believe it? I don’t rightly remember him, but it’s been big news since he got back.” She lowered her voice and continued. “He came back two months ago with a wife and kids…and Chas’ son. She’s beside herself because Aaron hasn’t been seen since that first night. I was here when they showed, he’s a bit much.”

“Aaron? Aaron is Chas’ son?” He hadn’t remembered the name of the boy Butch had taken. Truthfully, it was all just so upsetting he didn’t like to think about it. But Aaron, his Aaron was the victim of those things?

“Do you know him?” She was looking at him curiously.

“No, of course not. Look, I’ve got to get back to Chrissie. I just wanted to tell you we’ve got moved in.”

She squealed again and gave him a side hug. “So great.”

* * *

Aaron opened the door to the pub. Someone was coming out and he shifted over. It wasn’t until he smelled the cologne of the bloke that he looked up.

“Robert?” He couldn’t believe his eyes. What was he doing here?

“Hi. Bye.”

“Wait. Bye? That’s all you have to say. What are you doing here?”

“This is where I’m from. My family lives here and I just moved back.”

Aaron liked the sound of that. He hadn’t liked the way they ended things months ago. “Really? Fancy that. I bet we can find a bit of fun if we try.”

“Like I said before, I’m going to be faithful to my wife.” Robert looked different. He wasn’t looking Aaron in the eyes and looked uncomfortable. Maybe he was worried someone would see them.

“She’s not your wife yet.”

“Stop acting so desperate, it’s pathetic.”

Robert pushed past him and Aaron felt like he’d been punched. Instead of going into the pub he turned around and got back into his car. There were some things he needed to get done before anyway.

“Wanker.”

“Quiet, Jason.” While Jason knew lots of words, he only knew what a few meant. Aaron taught him quiet, stay, hungry, goodnight and a few others. Mostly it was all mimicking he heard. Which leaving him with Peter seemed not to be a great idea.

His dad had sent him pictures of the new house, there was just no room for him. If he didn’t move in, they would have more room for the kids. There was no way he was living with Chas. There was one option, but he didn’t know how well that would go. He got back out and pulled Jason out and started walking to the vet.

“Can I help you?” a blonde woman with a big smile asked.

“I’m looking for Paddy Kirk.”

“He’s at Butlers Farm right now but if you wait, he should be back soon.”

“Piss off,” Jason said.

“I’m sorry, what?” she asked, clearly affronted.

“He doesn’t mean it. He doesn’t even know what it means. I’ll wait in the café for when he gets back.”

“You can’t take him in the café,” she said.

“Why not?” he dared her.

“Well, it’s not hygienic.”

“He’s cleaner than most of the villagers,” he said before leaving. People were always very judgemental over Jason if it wasn’t his birdness it was his swearing. It wasn’t Jason’s issue if they were all too repressed.

The man behind the counter didn’t say anything to him but he did eye Jason suspiciously. It wasn’t like Jason was even loose, he was too anxious to do that, he felt better in his travel cage when he was around strangers.

“What can I get you?” the bloke asked.

“Coffee. Black.”

“Coming right up.”

“You’re Aaron, right?” someone behind him asked.

He turned around and saw it was a small woman with her blonde hair up in a messy bun.

“Yeah.”

“I’m Victoria Sugden. I was there when you got in but I’m sure you didn’t see me. Chas is dead chuffed you’re back home.”

“I don’t care about her; I don’t care anything about her.”

“Oh,” Victoria said awkwardly.

“Do you know anyone looking for a flatmate? I need somewhere to stay.”

“Well, I’ve got an extra room, if you want.”

“Really? I don’t have much stuff, but I come with a swearing African Grey,” he said nodding to where he sat Jason and his cage.

“He’s so cute.”

“Cunt.”

“Sorry. Like I said, he swears.”

“You taught him that?” She looked at him disapprovingly.

“No, he just mimics what he’s heard. That one was from Peter who watches him while I’m out of the country. If he says “fuck off” that he learned from me. He doesn’t know what they mean.”

“I guess I can deal with it, but I’ll try and clean up his language.”

“Good luck with that, my dad’s been trying for years.”

The man at the counter gave him his coffee and he paid. Turning back towards Victoria.

“How long have you had him?”

“Since I was fourteen. I went through some things and my dad thought he would help. I have to say he’s the best mate a bloke can have.”

“That’s great you had him.” She seemed at a loss at more to say, usually people do. “How did he get his name?”

“That’s a long story. So, I can move in?”

She smiled and it lit her face. “Yeah, I live over at Keepers Cottage. Meet me at the pub later and I’ll have a spare key for you. Do you want to know how much the room costs?”

“Nah, I can afford it.”

After he left the café with his cup and bird, he noticed an overweight man heading his way.

The jovial man stopped him by calling out to him.

“Aaron, right?”

“Seems so.”

“I’m Paddy Kirk. Vanessa said you were looking for me.”

Not wanting to bring up Jason Kirk now that he didn’t have to because Victoria’s offer, he went another way.

“I just wanted to schedule a check up exam for my African Grey,” he said, raising the cage a bit.

“Oh, Vanessa could have taken care of that for you. I’m not busy now if you want.”

“I’m busy today. Is tomorrow available?”

“Great. Nine then?”

“Yeah, good.”

He turned and again was accosted by someone shouting his name. This wasn’t something he was used to, he liked being invisible for the most part, it makes his job much easier. Chas was running towards him on high heels.

“Yes?” he asked in a bored tone. This woman didn’t get the hint did she. His dad must have given her his mobile number because she rang and texted for two days straight after he left to make the drop. There wasn’t any guilt when he blocked her.

“I was just wondering if you would like to come over for tea tonight. I have something I’d like to talk about.”

“No. I’ve got to move in my new room tonight.”

“That’s what I wanted to speak about. Oak Lea is so crowded I was hoping you could stay with me here at the pub.”

“Why would I stay with you?”

“I thought we could get to know each other again.” Her eyes were watering, it irritated him.

“I blew a bloke once so he wouldn’t cut off my hand, there, I think we know as much as we want about each other now.” He turned and walked away leaving her gobsmacked.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING. This is a heavy chapter, everything in it is pretty heavy. Not a happy chapter. Later maybe in a few hours or tomorrow morning I hope to have a lighter chapter but this explains what happened to Aaron regarding Addy. Contains the mention of child sexual abuse and torture but not in detail.

“What did you want to talk about?” Aaron was meeting his dad at the café. It had been a few days since he moved in with Vic. She was a good flatmate except for the singing in the shower she did. It was loud and not good. Jason had started to mimic Vic’s noises which was annoying too.

“It’s about Addy.”

“I’ve got things to do.” He went to get up, but his dad’s big hand grabbed him and pulled him down.

“I give you a lot of slack because of what happened but none of it was her fault and you shouldn’t take it out on her. You aren’t a child anymore. What happened to you was wrong and I’ll be forever sorry for failing you, but this is not her fault.”

He felt anger building up in him. “I know it’s not her fault but every time I look at Addy, I see HER.”

“What about seeing someone. I know we’ve talked about it before, but you’ve never wanted it. I should have pushed when you were a child.”

“I’m not crazy.”

His dad grabbed his chin and forced him to look him in the eye. “I didn’t say you were. I know we make jokes but Aaron, some of the things you do…they aren’t normal.”

“You say that like normal is all so great.”

“Maybe tell your mum about her.”

“My mum knows, we’ve been through this.” There was no way he would think of Chas as his mum, not anymore.

“You have so much anger in you, it’s eating away at the good. You are so special you don’t even know it. I don’t know anyone that could go through half of what you’ve gone through and come out the other side.”

“I can’t be what you want me to be with Addy. I can’t. I’ve tried but she’s not mine, not really.”

“Some people would think you’re doing the same to Addy as Chas did to you.”

“No, because I didn’t pretend to love her then one day decide I didn’t want to be a parent. You and mum are her parents, she knows you’ll never leave her or hurt her.”

“No, what you’re doing is worse. She knows you’re her father and knows you want nothing to do with her. You should have just let us lie to her, at least then she wouldn’t feel unwanted. I don’t really want to see you right now. You’re not a child, grow up.”

Aaron continued to sit there stunned. He could count on one hand how many times his dad lost his temper with him. He’s never told him he didn’t want to look at him. He’s tried since he brought Addy home to get over what happened and see her and not that woman.

“Alright?”

Aaron looked up at the person and saw it was a bloke around his age. “Yeah.”

“I’m Adam Barton.”

* * *

He was done letting Aaron figure this out, he had to take control. Butch headed over to the pub, he only hoped he didn’t regret what he was about to do.

Chas was behind the bar, but it was early enough there weren’t many people around.

“What’s wrong with you?” she asked. She must have seen his annoyance.

“You wanted to know how Addy came to be, I think it’s time you know.”

“Diane, I’m going to be in the back for a bit.”

“Don’t take too long, it is Saturday after all.”

“I won’t.”

Chas led him into the back into her front room. It was a nice place, a place where Aaron could have called home if things had been different.

“Go on,” she said.

“You should sit down, it’s not a good story.” He started to have doubts. Aaron would feel betrayed by this and rightly so, but he couldn’t think of another way to do this. Aaron was never going to tell her and maybe this was the only way to start his healing.

“What happened to my son? He said something about questioning his sexuality and doing stupid things but I’m thinking that wasn’t the truth.” Her voice had a hard edge.

“When Aaron was thirteen, he was working for Jacqui’s father. Aaron loves Pavel and Pavel adores the ground Aaron walks on. I don’t even pretend to know the bond between them. Pavel has a lot of enemies and they are dangerous. Aaron was spending a few months with him. One day Aaron just disappeared. What happened was one of Pavel’s rivals had grabbed Aaron while he was alone. Even I don’t know everything that happened to him while he was gone.”

“What did they do to my baby?” Tears were spilling down her cheeks.

“He was raped.”

“Again? Oh god.”

“It was a woman, the wife of Pavel’s rival. She was sadistic and he was tortured by her and her bodyguard. They both abused him in everyway possible. When Pavel was able to get him back, Aaron was already just broken beyond belief. It was worse than when I got him from Gordon’s.”

“What happened to the people that did this?”

“The bodyguard and the rival were both killed.”

“The woman?”

“She was visibly pregnant when Pavel went after her. He was still going to kill her until she said the babies were Aaron’s.”

“Wait…babies?”

“Twins. Boy and girl.”

“Where’s the boy?”

“Pavel agreed to let her live but when she delivered the babies, she gave up all rights. Aaron was fourteen at the time. He left with Pavel and came back with Addy.”

“Where is the boy?”

“Aaron’s never told us. He took him somewhere and that’s all. Pavel doesn’t even know.”

“How does a fourteen-year-old disappear with twins and only come back with one and no one asks questions? What kind of sick world have you raised my son in?”

“I don’t need your judgement. I did the best with what I could. You weren’t the one to find a broken little boy that had just been abused in the worst way by his father. It took months for him to be able to let his guard down with me. I fully admit I messed up when I took him. I should have brought him straight to you, but I don’t know. I didn’t know where you were, and I worried that they wouldn’t believe Aaron and give him back to Gordon.”

“They were able tell what Gordon had done to Aaron just from the evidence, he would have gotten justice.”

“What’s done is done. I can’t take it back and I wouldn’t. If I wouldn’t have left, I wouldn’t have met Jacqui and wouldn’t have any of my kids including Aaron. I would change all the bad things that have hurt Aaron.”

“He hates me, and I own that but he’s not even giving me the chance to get to know him. I stopped him in the road the other day and he did that shock thing to get me to leave him alone.”

“I’ll give you a tip, if you want to get anywhere with Aaron, when he shocks you, you shock him.”

“What does that even mean?’

“That’s for you to figure out, I’ve already told you things he would think is a betrayal.”

“I wish I could go back in time and just take him with me.”

Butch gave her a sad smile. “That’s the same wish Aaron used to make until he learned magic wasn’t real.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is lighter but still mention some of what happened to Aaron earlier.

Aaron dropped Jason off with the vet, he was going to stay while he had a job. Vic had wanted to watch him, but she’s only known him a week and doesn’t know how to care for him. He’d rather just pay the vet for boarding. Vic also works long hours and at the vet’s he wouldn’t be alone for most of the day. As he was leaving the village, he saw a familiar blond pulled over in a lay-by. He pulled over to see if he could make it worse for Rob.

“What do you want?” Robert asked when he saw him.

“I thought I could help.”

“Unless you have a new alternator, I can’t use your help.”

“Sorry, mate, just got rid of my last one.”

Robert shook his head, turn around and kicked his tyre. “What are you even doing here. I told you I’m done.”

“I was headed over to Home Farm. I thought Chrissie and I could trade stories. Does she know that you like-?

“Shut up Aaron. Just leave.”

“Testy aren’t we. Guess it’s for the best I’m headed out then.”

Robert stopped glowering. “Where are you going?”

“Got a job.”

“How long will you be gone?” Aaron did his best not to smile, it would only annoy Robert more.

“A week maybe more.”

Robert stalked towards Aaron and pushed him into the side of his car. Aaron smiled up at him as Rob descended to take his lips in a rough kiss. Everything with Robert was rough, it was never gentle, and Aaron loved that. His dad would say he had a type, he didn’t care, he liked what he liked. Rob reached over and opened the back door to Aaron’s car. Not one to ever turn down car sex he got in very happily.

An hour later he was wishing he had been a little more prepared for the spontaneous romp in the back of his car. Now he was in a little pain but not the worst he’s ever felt, not even close. Robert hadn’t even said goodbye just pulled out his mobile to get Cain out to bring his car in.

This job shouldn’t be close to a week, he just wanted to see Robert’s reaction. He was thinking about getting out of the business, he was used to being on the move but maybe it wouldn’t be terrible to stay in one place. Usually it made him feel trapped, bringing up bad memories. He liked being out in the opened, dreams of windowless rooms haunted his sleep.

Before his next job he decided to make one more stop. He had always told his parents that looking at Addy made him think of Manya, and she did. But that wasn’t the real reason he tried not to get attached. He always feared Manya would carry through with what she threatened after she gave birth to them. While his grandfather was in the other room making sure no one stole the babies, because the people they were dealing with couldn’t be trusted. Manya had told him that she would wait until he was living a happy life and slit his son’s throat in front of him and take her daughter back. That was the reason he had to hide Dimitri. Addy’s life wasn’t in danger, but he had believed Manya when she said she would slit Dimitri’s throat. His father may believe he was an uncaring bastard, but he had reason for doing what he did.

As he entered Grimsby, he felt an ease to his chest. No one here judged him for what he did or why. He sat staring at Prince Albert’s statue for a while. It was an overcast day and he usually liked to spend it at the docks when he was here. But he was just stopping in, wouldn’t be staying for any amount of time. He also like to do this when he got in because it was wide open, and he could feel if someone were watching him. There was no way he would bring danger to Dimitri. His father once told him it was cruel to split up twins but he thought it was crueller to sacrifice one so they could be well adjusted for a time. What good did being well adjusted do for anyone anyway.

Getting back in his car, he headed to the familiar little detached house that he had helped pay for when he was just seventeen. He could hear music playing from the house as soon as he got out. The neighbours must love that. He hoped Mr. Harold didn’t live next door anymore, he was a right git.

“Mr. Zhirov.”

Aaron looked up to see who was calling him. A tall man in his late fifties was waving him down. He recognised him as the bloke that lived across the street.

“Good evening, Mr. Davis.”

This was going to be aggravating because Davis could talk for hours about nothing.

“I’ve told you to call me Mel.”

Aaron smiled. “And I’ve told you to call me Alexi.”

“Yeah, yeah, humour an old goat like me.” Aaron smiled but even to him it felt extremely fake. “Are you home to visit your parents?”

“I thought they’d like to see my face from time to time.”

“Your parents are lucky; my son never comes to visit anymore. Not since he married that slag.” That was probably why his son didn’t come to visit anymore but it wasn’t his business.”

Aaron wanted to end this quickly. “My parents don’t have to worry about that. It’s not like I’m going to invite the bloke I had sex with in my car earlier home for tea, the things he could do with his mouth. Could you believe the awkward conversation with the folks? Wait…where are you going?” The old man was practically sprinting back to his home. “Must have been something I said.”

“I see you’re still as charming as ever.”

Aaron turned around and let out a breath. “Mikhail,” Aaron said breathlessly. He’s been in love with Mikhail since he was twelve. Mikhail had been in his late twenties and broke his heart, telling him he was too young, and he was straight, and it was wrong. Mikhail did his best not to be alone in the room with Aaron after that. Now Aaron could see it probably wasn’t the best idea and was glad Mikhail hadn’t been a paedophile. But he was young and naïve at the time.

When everything went down with Manya, Mikhail had been the one that found him. Mikhail was the one that killed Bog, a fitting name. Bog was Manya’s bodyguard and lover. They were a sadistic couple. When she told his grandfather the babies were his, he didn’t believe her because she had been with Bog and her husband. But the tests after their birth showed they were his.

“Sasha and Dimitri are out right now,”

“Does that mean you’re going to take me to bed and fuck me?”

“You’re incorrigible but yes, get inside now because most of the people here think you’re my stepson. I don’t want the neighbours to think I’m into that.”

Aaron smiled and pulled Mikhail close and kissed him hard on the lips before pushing him and running inside, he could hear Mikhail swearing at him as he chased him.


	7. Chapter 7

Dimitri was running around the house like a demented squirrel. Aaron wasn’t close to Dimitri either, again for the same reasons as Addy. The boy knew Aaron was his biological father, but Sasha and Mikhail were his parents just as his parents were Addy’s.

“Aaron, look what I made,” Dimitri said, bringing Aaron a drawing he had just done.

“That’s good mate.”

Sasha had been fluttering around the room, ever since she and Dimitri got home. Mikhail was Russian born but went to an expensive boarding school in Kent and spoke English better than most of his own family. Sasha didn’t come from money like Mikhail did and she spoke well with a heavy Russian accent.

Dimitri went running off chasing their cat. Sasha shifted him over with her hip and sat beside him.

“I hope you don’t have sex in my bed.”

“I promised I wouldn’t ever do that.”

She looked at him solemnly. “You promise lots of things.”

“Mikhail told you what I wanted to do.”

“He’s been my son since he was a baby.”

“He’s still your son, always yours. My reasons for giving him to you haven’t changed. I just want him to get to know his sister. Now that I’m staying in one place it doesn’t seem right that they can’t get to know one another. They know about each other, maybe just meeting once or twice.”

“His life no longer in danger?”

“She’s still out there.”

Sasha grabbed his head and forced him to look her in the eye, it was a move his dad, Robert and Mikhail did too. They say he never looks anyone in the eye.

“She hates you. She wants you to pay, I won’t let him be hurt. We hide until she is dead. My son, my call.”

“Yeah, I get it. I guess it’s time for me to finally end this, I’m not fourteen anymore.”

“She is protected.”

Aaron leaned forward and kissed her. “It’ll make it fun.”

She leaned her forehead against his. “I will tell him you die smart. I lie.”

“Bitch.”

“Husband fucker.”

He laughed. He liked Sasha; she was a funny woman. She and Mikhail hadn’t been able to have children of their own. When he needed to hide Dimitri, Mikhail offered to be his protector. Aaron didn’t want that, he wanted Dimitri to have what he was making sure Addy had, a family. Sasha was over the moon to find out about the baby. At first, he thought about giving them both babies, but he was too scared it would be too easy for Manya to find them.

He knew Mikhail and Sasha were amazing parents to Dimitri. They were a great couple together also. Sasha let Mikhail be with Aaron but only him. It was a weird deal, but it kept Mikhail from looking for men at the local park and she knew Aaron would never take Dimitri from his father. Dimitri’s identification was fake, everything about him was except the love. They were playing free with legality because at the time of the twins’ birth he wasn’t even going by his own name. He hadn’t taken that over until he was eighteen. Hell, most of him was smoke and mirrors anyway.

* * *

“Fucker.”

“Can’t you do something about that?” Rhona asked Paddy.

“I-I would but last time I asked him to stop he called me a knob head.”

“Oh, Pads, you’re being bullied by a parrot,” Rhona said, rubbing his head.

“Stop,” he said moving away.

“Aaron!”

“He also does that; I think he’s missing Aaron.”

“When will he be back, I thought this was only for a week, it’s been almost a fortnight.”

“Butch said he was kind of flaky. He’ll be back soon enough. Hopefully before we get more complains about the language.”

The door opened to the office and Robert Sugden came in with Dog.

“Chrissie said to bring him in for his jabs.”

“Yes, bring him right in here.”

“Sexy motherfucker.”

Paddy looked at Jason and saw he was flapping his wings. He knew it wasn’t because of Dog because Jason hadn’t had that reaction to any other animal. “Did he just call you that?” Paddy asked Robert.

Robert looked stunned and like he wanted to be anywhere else. It almost looked like he was caught or something but that was crazy.

“I’m just going to wait outside until Dog is done,” Robert said fleeing the office.

“Maybe he’s scared of birds,” Rhona reasoned.

“Harder. God. Harder.”

“I hope Aaron comes back soon I can’t explain that to Edna if she comes in, can I?” Paddy said shaking his head.

* * *

Robert made an escape out of the vet’s office. He wasn’t expecting Jason there. Almost every time he had seen Aaron, he had Jason with him. That parrot could give him away because he did know his name. He had forgotten Vic said that Jason was at the vets. He was going to kill Aaron because he thought it was funny to teach Jason to call him Sexy Motherfucker instead of Robert, which Robert had taught him. It saved him this time because he would have questions to answer if he walked in and Jason called him by his name.

There were a lot of mixed emotions involving Aaron. On one hand, he was funny and wild. But he was also very damaged. Robert didn’t have to see the cuts all over his body to know that. At first, he was put off by them but now they were just a part of Aaron. It was one of Aaron’s many secrets. It was obvious what he was doing but he had never told Robert why. Now learning about his father, it made sickening sense.

When he found out about Aaron’s past, he could no longer see his mysterious lover but a broken boy. Which made him feel guilty for being with him before he left, but he just wanted one more time feeling something real.

* * *

All he had to do was get back home. That still felt weird to say. Finishing his last job, he was done, truly done. Since he worked for himself it was easy to just stop. When he was younger, he worked for his grandfather. After he was taken it was all computer work, he got good at coding. That lasted until he was seventeen and stopped working for his grandfather per his mother’s insistence. She thought he would be taken again and then killed. He didn’t make things easy on his parents, he knew that. In fact, he had made their lives a living hell. He was cold and angry as a teen. It had been so bad he ran off once. It didn’t work out too well for him because he was captured by his ex and kept locked in a dungeon for a year.

Now that he was technically unemployed, he wondered what he would do now. There was no way he wouldn’t work because he would go crazy. As he neared the village, he took a detour to Butlers. Adam Barton had been a smiley, congenial bloke and that was suspicious as hell to jaded Aaron.

When he pulled up to the farm, he saw several men and a woman outside, they looked to be arguing about something. Everyone looked at him when he got out.

“Mate, you’re back,” Adam said, sticking out his hand as he walked towards Aaron.

“Yes,” he said cautiously but did shake Adam’s hand. “I was hoping to speak to you…privately.” There were too many eyes on him.

Adam looked at him oddly but nodded and led him off away from prying eyes and ears. They stopped in front of a barn, far away from the others at the farm. Aaron believed he saw Cain in the group but couldn’t be sure, he didn’t really care one way or the other about him. There was only one Dingle that stuck his neck out for him when he needed him and that was his dad.

“Why all the secrecy?” Adam asked.

“Were you serious about not wanting to be a farm boy anymore?”

“Yeah, I want something that is mine, this farm it was never my choice just something I was forced into.”

“I was considering starting my own business, I want to know if you’d like to be a partner in it.”

“No offense mate but why me?”

“I’m new here and an unknown entity, people aren’t really going to put trust in me. You’re clearly liked by all around you. I’m not sure if its that annoying smile on your face or just because you’ve been here a while.”

“My smile isn’t annoying; people just like me.”

“Against their better judgement, right?”

“If you don’t like me, I don’t think we have anything more to talk about.” Now Aaron could see Adam was offended. Interesting.

“I didn’t say I didn’t like you.”

Adam kicked a rock. “Could’ve fooled me.”

“If I didn’t like you, I wouldn’t be considering this.”

“Alright. Say we start a business. What kind of business?”

“We have two options, an honest one that will probably take years to make a profit or one that’s a little on the dodgy side.”

“Let me guess, you want the dodgy one?”

“I wouldn’t be averse to it.”

“We have to do the legal one or I don’t join.”

“Fucking choir boy. Fine, legal. What do you say?”

“Do you have any ideas or are we starting fresh?”

“I have some ideas, but you can bring your own to the table.”

Adam held out his hand, Aaron shook. “I’ll do some research and see what I can come up with.”

“Great.” Aaron headed back to his car, with Adam as his partner he wouldn’t be able to do dodgy dealings which wasn’t something he was used to. He’d been working with people with corrupt morals for so long he wouldn’t know how to handle someone with principles. Maybe this was what he needed. His dad didn’t like to do anything illegal but knew sometimes life called for it. This would be a new experience.

Now all he needed to do was get Jason and go home. All he wanted to do was sleep for a week because his last job took a lot out of him. Just as he got on the main road a van came barring down on him. It was on his tail almost instantly. He knew right away this was wrong. He couldn’t lead them into the village with his family, so he spun around but didn’t quite make it. The van slammed into the side of his car pushing his car off the road. His car shut off and wouldn’t restart, he would have to fight to get out of this. The only question was who was after him. He ducked down looking for something to use as a weapon, he didn’t carry weapons in his car because he didn’t want police to get nosy.

His door was ripped open, and he looked up at the face staring down at him. He wasn’t expecting to see who was standing there.

“Et tu, Brute?” he said to the person before the fist connected with his head and everything went dark.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There were lots of questions about Butch's blasé attitude about Aaron missing for a year. This chapter I hope explains some of it.

“Where’s the stone?”

Aaron wondered if it was blood or sweat running down his face. His eyes focused on the small window; it was up high but no bars. They probably thought he wouldn’t be able to fit through it, but they didn’t know how determined he could be.

A hand reached out and smacked him hard. “Are you listening to me?”

“Not really,” he said in a bored tone. He learned a long time ago not to show any emotion in these situations. Already he knew he was lucky. When he was first taken, he thought Manya was finally going to go through with her threat. But when they started to ask for the stone, he knew it was about a job he had not too long ago.

“Think you’re tough, don’t you?” the familiar voice asked.

“I guess I thought you were a better person than this Peter.”

“That diamond’s worth fifty million alone. I know you hold on to your pieces for a while. You should watch what you talk about in front of Jason, he’s like a little recorder. He must have really liked the sound of Canaan Diamond for him to remember it without being taught.”

Aaron kept his mouth shut. It wasn’t beneficial to him to say anything more. He just hoped his mouth listened to his brain but sometimes he got a little gobby when he was cornered. This is why he didn’t fall into the friend myth; friends are just more people to betray you. Peter turning on him was a shock though. He didn’t hurt people, every job he took was only about stealing. It was never stealing from someone who would miss it beyond just saying they owned something unique. He was good at being a thief, but it wasn’t something he wanted to continue.

“Don’t have anything to say?” Peter asked, hitting him again.

“You were lousy in bed,” he said before everything went dark again.

It was dark and he was alone when he woke again. Being tied to a chair wasn’t something new to him. He easily broke out of the ties they had on him. “Amateurs.” He didn’t know how far away they were so he would have to work fast. Putting the chair against the wall he climbed on top, standing on the back of it hoping it held. He would have the break the window and jump out fast, he would probably break something but wouldn’t be the first time he ran with a broken bone. He didn’t know how many there were or if they had a camera in the small room. It seemed like a two-bit operation. Peter had never been the smartest bloke but until now Aaron thought he was alright. They used to causally hook-up until Peter got married, his wife didn’t care for Aaron.

Looking out the window he saw it was already dark, meaning he didn’t know how far the drop would be. He hoped it was on the ground floor but until he jumped, he didn’t know. It was now or never, and he’ll be damned if it was never. He didn’t survive this long in the business to curl up and die in an idiot’s drug den. That’s what they were, because only drugs could make someone think this was going to be successful. He had given the diamond to his client months ago. Even if he hadn’t, he would never tell those morons where it was.

Bending his arm, he used his elbow to break out the window. Time being of the essence he quickly climbed through the window and jumped, hoping he didn’t break himself too badly. Luck was on his side; he was on the ground floor. He stuck to his landing, should’ve gotten a gold medal for it. There was no sound behind him and he ran. He wouldn’t look behind him, that’s how you get caught. His legs burned but he wouldn’t stop, the burn was good, it makes him know he was alive.

* * *

“Where have you been?”

Aaron had just been dropped off at the pub by a nice bloke. He knew his feet were bleeding because it was a familiar feeling to him. He ran most of the night and didn't stop until the sun was up and found someone to take him to the next village. It was there he met Tim, who drove him back here. Now as soon as he walked through the door Chas was on him. He would’ve gone home but he didn’t have his keys on him.

“What do you mean?” he feigned stupidity.

“Adam said he spoke to you days ago. Not only that our Cain found your car off the road. So, where were you?”

“Ran into an old mate and he took me to his mate’s place. It was just the three of us. Do you want a play by play?”

Her eyes narrowed. “No. You’re better than going home with randoms.”

“How can you say that you don’t even know me?” He would just stay in the café until Vic got off work unless... “Where’s my car?”

“Cain parked it behind the pub.”

“Were my keys in it?”

“Yes, do you want them?”

Aaron would be damned if he asked her for anything, so he turned and left, café it was.

Someone yelled his name as he exited the pub and he turned and saw his dad jogging towards him. “Hey, kiddo, where’ve you been. We’ve been worried,” his dad said, drawing him into a tight hug. Aaron did his best not to flinch, the idiots had worked him over well for idiots.

“I ran into an old friend. You’re always on me to be more social.”

His dad looked at him closely. “You would tell me if something was wrong, right?’

“Of course. You know me, flighty.”

“I just wish you would find a way to forgive yourself.”

“I’ve got to get something to eat.” Inching his way towards the café.

His dad shook his head but didn’t say anything. He didn’t like to worry his dad with real life things. His dad worried to much about him, so he had to twist the truth just enough. Like when Nigel kept him for a whole year. No one looked for him, they all thought he was living it up somewhere exotic not in a room without any light in Sheffield. Every time his life was in danger, he knew his dad couldn’t handle it. So, he would hint towards illicit affairs and getting in harmless trouble. The only time he had to tell him the truth is when he got locked up, he needed his dad to help him escape. But his dad saving him from Gordon and then not being able to save him from Manya, there was no way he would tell his dad the truth about anything. Of course, he had to leave just enough truth to make it, so he wasn’t outright lying to them. His parents didn’t need that kind of worry.


	9. Chapter 9

“Meow.”

“You’re not a cat,” Aaron told Jason.

“Meow.”

“No one is falling for it.”

“Who’s a good kitty?”

“Vic, don’t encourage him.”

It was one of the few days that Vic was off work. They were watching telly and playing with Jason. Vic tuts at Jason every time he swears and now Jason tuts at her when she bothers him.

“I was thinking we could go to Bar West, I’ve never been,” Vic said.

“What’s Bar West?”

“It’s a gay bar. I bet we could find you a date.”

“I don’t need a date. Take Adam.”

“Adam’s not gay.”

Aaron looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Are you sure? He seems to follow me around a lot.”

“He just wants a mate. There really aren’t that many options here. The only ones around our age are his half-brothers and he doesn’t get on well with them. Also, I think he likes that you have all these stories he’s just eager to hear. He’s always been on a farm. You’re different.”

“People usually say that as a bad thing.”

“I think you’ll be happy here if you give it a chance. Chas is so chuffed to have you home. I was little when she moved into the village after Butch took you. Every year she would celebrate your birthday, she didn’t care what the police said, she knew you were alive.”

“What?” He paused from changing channels.

“I thought you knew?”

“Knew what?”

“Because of the evidence they found at the house, they could convict your dad of what he did. He never admitted it to police, but he did others, and they were able to convict. But because no one knew where you or Butch was, they thought maybe Gordon killed you and Butch. Your mum said that she would know if you were dead, and you weren’t dead. She was so sure that Butch took you and saved you, that’s what she held on so tightly to for so long. Now you’re back it’s like a dream come true.”

Guilt ate at him for treating her the way he had. While he couldn’t parent the twins, he would be devastated if something happened to them. Maybe he had been too hard on her, she was around his age now when she left. That thought made him realize his dad have been around his age when he hurt him. Why did he hurt him? Looking at Addy and Dimitri it’s unfathomable to hurt someone so innocent. What was it about him that his father had to do what he did?

“So, you think I should try and talk to Chas.”

“I think it’ll make her year if you could talk to her without spitting the venom you have at her.”

“Right.” He turned back to the telly and ignored Vic and Jason. He was going to have to face Chas some time but first he needed to speak to his mum.

“So…Bar West?” Vic said brightly. She really didn’t have an off button did she.

“Tomorrow we can go. Invite Adam, it’ll be fun watching him get all macho and worried about blokes hitting on him.”

She laughed. “You don’t know Adam if you think that. It’s going to be so fun. I’m going to invite Finn too; he needs a wingman or three.”

* * *

“Hi mum,” Aaron said as his mum answered the door.

“You just missed your dad. He took the kids into Leeds to get them new clothes.”

He laughed. His mum hated clothes shopping; it was something she would always push off on his dad. His sisters Heather and Iris thought they were little fashionistas. She led him into the kitchen and started to serve him tea without even asking if he wanted anything.

“How are you liking it here?” he asked. She wasn’t really a small village kind of woman.

“I’m actually liking it. The kids are making friends, I’m not having to worry about my children, you most of all.”

“I wanted to talk to you about that. What would you think if I wanted a relationship with Chas?” he asked, scared of the answer. What if she wanted to wash her hands of him now?

“I think that’s amazing.”

He pushed the cup away. “You do?”

“Yes. What kind of mother would I be if I didn’t want you surrounded by people who love you? I remember the day I met you and your dad. Here this huge bear of a man was with a big bright smile and there you were small, scared and hurt. One of the first things you told me was “I miss my mummy.” I think it would be amazing for you to have a relationship with her.”

“You wouldn’t be angry?”

“Never. You aggravate the living hell out of me, but you’re my son. I’m alright with sharing you. You can even call her mum if you want, we’re family because we want to be. That hasn’t changed.”

He stood up and hugged her. She was a tough woman who could put them all in their place when needed. He forgot how tender she could be. She was the one that sat up with him when he had nightmares after everything with Manya. She was the one that stayed with him through the sweats, cramps and vomiting while he was detoxing when he was sixteen. His dad was too soft of a soul, he would have folded and let him out the first time he begged that he needed a fix. His mum didn’t give him an inch, not when he whined, begged or threatened. She was his mother, even if he did get to know Chas.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, even if you drive me mad. Want to play Bastard?” she asked.

“Where’s the cards?”

* * *

“No,” Robert said. He couldn’t believe what his sister was trying to talk him into. Gay Bars made him…edgy.

“This is for Aaron. He needs mates and to have fun. All he does is research for his and Adam’s new business. His only friend is that bird of his.”

“How are you liking living with the two of them?”

“Aaron’s alright, quiet. Jason has given me a new name.”

“Dare I ask?”

“Slag.”

Robert shook his head. “Can’t Aaron do anything about it?”

“Yeah, he got him to say Vic Slag. It sounds like a STI.”

“Why don’t you just take Finn with you?”

“Finn is going, so is Adam but I think if it’s just the four of us Aaron will assume, I’m trying to set him up with Finn.”

Robert narrowed his eyes at his baby sister. “Are you?”

“What? No,” she said just a little too innocently.

“Vic. Don’t.”

“What? Finn is a catch.”

“Aaron’s not ready.”

She put her hands on her hips and gave him that look that said she was going to do as she pleased. “He’s my flatmate, I think I know him a little better than you.”

It was going to blow up in her face and he didn’t want to be there to see it. If he did go Aaron could be more chaotic than usual and may end up sleeping with Finn just to try and make Robert jealous. That would only make Aaron the target of Finn’s brothers.

“Sorry, I’m busy but good luck with whatever you’re hoping to happen.”

It was going to end in disaster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should the next chapter be from Bar West or just the aftermath?


	10. Chapter 10

The bar was nothing special, but it was nicer than a lot he’s seen. It was clean and that was always good. There were a few pool tables, one was in use but the other one was empty. Maybe he would have a game with Adam because without doing something it was going to be a dull night. They got a table near the bar.

“I’ll get first round, what does everyone want?” Adam asked with that big smile. Adam was the equivalent of a human golden retriever he was sure.

“Just water for me,” he told Adam.

“Are you sure?” Adam asked like he never heard such a thing. He wasn’t about to say he was a drug addict, and it was best for him not to indulge in alcohol, it wasn’t their business.

“Someone has to have a clear head tonight.” That seemed to make sense because Adam smiled and headed to the bar to get the drinks.

Looking around he saw some hot guys, but he wasn’t in the market tonight. He knew Vic had her heart set on him and Finn, that wasn’t going to happen. Finn was…just not his type. Tonight, he needed to find someone for Finn so Vic would drop this idea. Since Aaron had such lousy taste in men, he knew to find the opposite of what he likes and that’ll be Mr. Wonderful for Finn.

“Alright boys, drink up,” Adam said, putting their drinks on the table.

“Excuse me?” Vic asked.

“Come on, Vic. You’ve always been one of the guys,” Adam said with that smile.

“Since we used to date…what does that say about you?” she asked laughing.

“Funny. Alright. So, we’re here to find dates for Finn and Aaron?” Adam asked.

“No, just Finn. Aaron isn’t looking,” Aaron told them.

“I’m not a charity case.” Finn looked offended.

“Yes, you are,” both Adam and Vic said.

“What are you looking for?” Aaron asked.

“What about him? Or him. Or him?” Adam asked pointing at literally every bloke that walked by them.

Aaron ignored him. “So?”

“I’m not sure. I haven’t dated a lot.”

“Bloke’s a bloke, right?” Adam asked.

God save him from heteros. “Oh, right. Bernice is single right? I think we can get you and her together,” Aaron told Adam.

“She’s not really my type, mate.”

Aaron, Finn and Vic all just looked at Adam, it took a little longer than it should have for him to catch on to what Aaron was saying.

“Oh. Soz. Got it. Finn what kind of bloke do you want?”

“He’s not shopping at Tesco,” Aaron said.

“Stop bickering. Like I said, I’m not really sure.”

“Alright. Pick one and only one to answer,” Aaron told him.

“Tall or short?”

“Tall.”

“Smart or dumb?”

“Smart.”

“Athletic or not?”

“Not.”

“Ambitious or not?”

“Ambitious.”

“Finn, you’re describing yourself,” Vic pointed out.

Aaron saw what he was looking for. “Fuck it, I’ll be back.” Aaron got up and went looking, Finn had no idea what he wanted.

* * *

“Where do you think he went?” Finn asked.

Vic had no clue, but this night wasn’t like she thought it would be. She really hoped that Aaron and Finn would hit it off, but they were just there in the same room. Adam had more connection with Aaron that Finn and Aaron. This was going to suck, and the worst was Robert was right.

“There he is,” Adam said, pointing across the room.

Vic looked over and saw Aaron, he was bringing a God their way. The bloke was gorgeous and fit, about six foot with light brown hair and beautiful green eyes.

Aaron gestured for the bloke to sit beside Finn, and he did.

“This is Phillipe, he’s a Sagittarius that windboards and the oldest of three, he’s also an aeronautical engineer.”

“I’m a Capricorn and an only child, and my name is Jess.”

“Like I give a fuck. This is Finn he’s a sad, lonely virgin that will probably put out pretty easily.”

“What the hell, Aaron?” she demanded. Why was he being so mean?

“Yeah, that’s uncalled for mate,” Adam added.

“What? Did you expect something sweet and caring so you can say aww and start planning the wedding now? Straight people never get it.”

“It seems Finn doesn’t get it either,” Vic said, she noticed the bloke hadn’t gotten up. He was watching what was transpiring with interest.

“He wouldn’t. If he takes everything told to him as the god’s honest truth, he’s asking to get in trouble. If he doesn’t learn one day, he’ll leave a bar with a bloke only to find the bloke’s four mates waiting outside for them. The next thing he knows he’s waking up in hospital because he got lucky, and a passer-by heard his screaming. Don’t trust anyone. Not with your drink, not with your life. The world is an ugly place and you can’t let your guard down.”

“Did that happen to you?” Adam asked.

“No. It happened to him,” Aaron said pointing to the bloke he brought over.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry,” Vic said. The man’s smiled dimmed a little and was a little sad.

“He’s right. We have to look around every corner. We can’t leave pubs and bars with a bloke without knowing the risk that bloke is a luring us out to beat the queer. Then there are attacks by our own. Rape. Domestic violence is just as prominent in same-sex relationships, we just don’t talk about it.”

“I’m sorry, do you two know each other?” Finn asked out of nowhere.

“Yeah. I used to live in Croydon, that’s where I was attacked. I was just lucky that Aaron heard me. He didn’t know me, but he stayed with me. I think if it weren’t for him showing me there were still people who cared if I lived or died, I wouldn’t be here now. It breaks you down being hurt like that for who you are.”

“Stay, have a few and talk, you may find out you two have a lot in common. I can vouch for Jess, but take that on face value too,” Aaron said before getting up and leaving.

“Is he always like that?” Finn asked.

“Always,” Jess said.

“You weren’t here by coincidence, were you?” Finn asked.

“No, Aaron asked me to come. He said I would meet a cute bloke, and I did.”

“Oh,” Finn said with a sadness that Vic had heard from him before.

She leaned over and whispered, “He means you,” into Finn’s ear.

“OH.” Finn looked at Jess and his smile was big and awkward, on point from Finn. “Was anything Aaron said about you true?”

“No, I am an engineer but a civil engineer.”

“Were you and Aaron ever together?” Finn asked.

“No, I’m not Aaron’s type and he’s not mine.”

“What does that mean?” Adam asked.

Vic rolled her eyes; Adam had already attached himself to Aaron and took offence to anything he considered a negative word about him.

“Aaron likes blokes he can’t have. I prefer blokes that won’t hurt me.”

“Are you saying Aaron’s violent?” Vic asked.

“Yes. He has a lot of issues and can’t control many of them. But I didn’t mean I would be afraid he would hurt this partner. My biggest fear for the bloke Aaron ever falls for, is that Aaron will depend too much on him and no one’s perfect.”

“I’m not following,” Adam said.

“Humans are fallible, men more than most. We mess up. I think if Aaron fully gives himself to someone, it’ll probably kill him if that person breaks his heart.”

“So why are you afraid Aaron would hurt his fictional partner?” she asked.

“Because he wouldn’t want to live. And that kind of pressure to keep Aaron together, even a saint would break.”

* * *

Aaron pulled out his mobile and rang the first name he thought of. “Meet me at Keepers Cottage,” he said before disconnecting.

He took the car back; he knew Jess would take them home. Jess was perfect for Finn; they both were still starry-eyed. Even with Jess being gay bashed he still was kind and gentle, that’s what someone as innocent as Finn needed. He had no idea if it would last but Finn would get the experience and Jess wouldn’t hurt him and he wouldn’t hurt Jess, win-win.

She was standing outside Keepers when he arrived. As he got out of the car, he expected her to say something or try and hug him, but she just stood there silently.

“Thanks for coming.”

“I wasn’t expecting it but I’m glad you did.”

“Want to come in?”

“That’d be nice.”

He led Chas into the cottage and into the kitchen. She sat down and he sat with her, there was only one question he had for her.

“I have something to ask, and I want you to answer truthfully. Don’t lie to spare my feelings or to make you look better, just the truth.”

She nodded. “Go on.”

“When you left, did you ever plan on coming back for me?”

Tears started to spill out of her eyes. “No.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can tell from the last part of this chapter, next one is going to be dark.


	11. Chapter 11

“Bye,” Vic said, waving at Jess. Jess had dropped Adam off at Butlers already.

As Jess drove away, she looked at Finn who was flying high on tonight. They had spent hours at Bar West drinking, playing pool and getting to know Jess. She fully approved of Finn making a go with Jess, he’s a dream. Not only that, but he was also drop dead gorgeous and so sweet.

“You’re so smitten,” she said they walked to Keepers Cottage.

“He’s amazing, right? Do you think it’s real or is he just being nice?”

“No, he’s totally into you. I saw him checking you out when you would get a round.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yeah. He gave you his number and you gave him yours. I bet by next week you have a hot date set up.”

“I can only hope.”

“It’ll happen. I’m shattered, talk to you tomorrow?”

“Alright, have a good night.” He left her at her door and headed to Dale View.

She opened the door and heard Jason screeching loudly. She’d never heard him like that, he sounded so upset. Worrying that Aaron wasn’t home, and Jason had somehow been injured she went to his room. She went to open the door, but it was locked.

She banged on the door. “AARON? ARE YOU IN THERE?”

The screeching got louder, and she was starting to get more worried. Aaron had told her that Jason usually didn’t screech, and she hadn’t heard it until now. She ran down the stairs and started looking for her spare key for the box room. She found it after dumping the whole drawer on the table to find it faster. Going back upstairs she unlocked the door, her heart dropped at what she saw.

* * *

“What’s going on?” Diane asked as they both came out of their rooms.

“I’m not sure,” Chas said, closing her dressing gown.

They were woken up by the sound of an emergency vehicle siren. It wasn’t something they were used to hearing, especially not this late at night. She had just fallen into a fitful sleep after her talk with Aaron. He had been so hurt by her answer, she saw it clear as day. After that she tried to talk to him, but he asked her to leave. It was best for her to give him time, she knew that in her heart, but it still didn’t feel right when she left.

Outside she saw that the ambulance was stopped right outside Keepers Cottage.

“Victoria,” Diane gasped before rushing over in her dressing gown and slippers, Chas wasn’t far behind and quickly overtook her aging friend.

When they reached Keepers Cottage they walked in the open door. She could hear sobs coming from Victoria and that bird of Aaron’s screeching.

“What’s going on?” Chas asked when they found Victoria, she was at the bottom of the stairs looking distraught. She had blood all over her.

“Aaron,” was all she said.

Chas ran up the stairs to Vic’s box room. There were two men there, Aaron was on the floor and they were bandaging parts of his body.

“What’s happening?” she asked, her voice wild even to her.

“Are you family?”

“I’m his mother. What’s wrong with my son?”

“Looks like someone hurt him,” the older, balder paramedic said.

“He self-harms.”

Chas turned around to see the new voice and saw it was Robert Sugden. What was he doing here?

“How do you know?” Chas demanded.

Robert looked caught for a moment before saying, “I saw him do it once, just after he moved in with Vic.”

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“Why would I tell you?”

“This isn’t self-injury,” the younger paramedic said.

“How can you be sure?” she asked.

“Because when people self-harm they’re unlikely to do it while being handcuffed to the bed,” the older one bit out.

“He was what?” she asked.

“Not really any of your business,” a hoarse voice said, she almost didn’t recognize her son’s own voice.

“Mr. Dingle, the police are on their way,” the younger paramedic said.

“Don’t know why, I’ve got nothing to say to them.”

Chas couldn’t listen anymore, she wanted to throttle him until he just listened to the people trying to help him. Robert stayed in the room with Aaron and the paramedics. She hadn’t known that the two were friendly, they didn’t have anything in common. Diane was trying to calm Victoria down, and Chas noticed Jason was quiet. She looked over to see someone had put a blanket over his travel cage.

“Was he handcuffed to the bed when you found him?” Chas asked, not believing what they were telling her.

“Yeah, there was so much blood. I thought he was dead. I had to trap Jason because he was so upset and wouldn’t let me near Aaron.”

“I thought you said the door was locked from the inside?” Diane asked.

“Jason can lock the door, Aaron taught him, it’s a trick of his. Aaron told me that Jason will sometimes do it if he feels threatened, which is why he wanted to put a lock that could be opened with a key on the outside,” Vic said.

“Why would he teach Jason to lock the door?” Chas asked.

“I don’t know, didn’t think it was my place to ask,” Vic said a little testily.

Just then Robert came downstairs, he looked worn out. They must be closer than she thought but she’d never seen the two even speak.

“What are they doing now?” Vic asked.

“He’s refusing treatment.”

“Maybe we should get Butch or Jacqui over here,” Vic said.

“You can try but that will make him feel ganged up on. There are already too many people who know about this for him.”

The police chose that moment to come in and Vic led them upstairs to where Aaron was.

“Did he say who did this to him?” Chas asked Robert. He seemed to know more than anyone else.

“No. I’ve got to get home; Chrissie will be wondering where I’m at.”

“How did you know to come here?” she asked. Unlike her and Diane he was all the way out at Home Farm, he couldn’t have noticed where the ambulance was even if he did hear it.

“Vic texted. I’ll check in tomorrow.”

After Robert left the police came back downstairs. They asked them if they saw anyone, they hadn’t. The police left soon after. What had happened to her baby?

* * *

Aaron was ready to fucking kill. As soon as the police and ambulance leave, he was going to kill him. The medics were really after him to go in and get checked out. But he refused to go in and his life wasn’t in danger, so they didn’t have any choice. He told the cops it was a sex game that got a little out of control but nothing he was against. When they tried to force him, he told them sadomasochism wasn’t a crime if both parties were willing. The two blokes couldn’t run out of there fast enough.

After the disaster of a conversation with Chas, he went looking for a fuck and boy did he get fucked. Fifty grand. That bastard stole fifty grand. Usually, he’s so much smarter than he was tonight but he let his anger get the better of him. After being betrayed by Peter he should have known better than to trust one of his other hook-ups. He had worked with Beau a few times but mostly they kept things in the bedroom. Beau had always liked things rough and enjoyed tying Aaron up. There wasn’t a tied knot Aaron couldn’t get out of though. He should have guessed something was up when Beau brought out the cuffs.

He wondered how Beau knew he kept cash hidden. No one knew, not even his parents. It was probably just a guess but who knew. He was done fucking people he’s worked with; it was safer to be with strangers. Good thing he never had sex with Jess, or he would have to warn Finn about him. Apparently, he only attracted psychos, that meant he escaped, and it was good that Robert broke it off, Robert would probably have ended up killing him.

The police kept asking him if he had been sexually assaulted. They did have sex, but it was consensual. It wasn’t until after they were done that Aaron realized something was up. He didn’t automatically release him from the cuffs. Then Beau started tearing his room apart. He started yelling and swearing at Beau, Jason joined in calling Beau a Eunuch. Aaron didn’t know who taught him that, but he suspected it was Addy. His little sister had apparently watched a few episodes of Game of Thrones while everyone else in the hotel room was asleep. She had a few questions and while his parents just told her that she wasn’t to watch it ever again, he answered her questions.

His body was on fire from all the cuts. It wasn’t the worst; he’s done worse himself, but he wasn’t able to clean up, so Vic got quite the eyeful. He had been nude, and bleeding handcuffed to her spare bedframe. It would’ve been funny in a messed up way if he wasn’t so furious. He would have to make sure no one told his parents because if his mum found out she would tell his grandfather. While he hated Beau and planned to get his money back, he couldn’t have Beau’s death on his conscious. Even if he wanted to kill him himself.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a dark chapter. The funny is almost none existent in it.

Robert stayed away as long as he could. He needed to speak with Aaron and needed to know. Last night after finding out what happened to Aaron, he felt useless. There were too many people around so he couldn’t take charge like he wanted. He had to follow everyone else’s lead. Vic was broken up about what happened, Chas was guilt ridden and Diane was trying to comfort everyone.

“I need to speak to Aaron,” he said when Vic opened the door. Her eyes were red and puffy from a whole night of crying.

“I don’t know. I went to check on him this morning and he was gone. He left a note to take Jason over to Paddy so he could check on him. Jason’s been tearing his feathers out since last night. Aaron wouldn’t talk about what happened or anything and now he’s just gone. Why wouldn’t he let the police help him or go to hospital?”

“I don’t know, that’s a question for Aaron. I best let you go so you can take Jason to the vets. Because if anything ever happened to that damn bird, Aaron wouldn’t recover.”

Aaron had told him once that having Jason made everything feel better. Jason would never leave him, if he took good care of him, he could live up to sixty years. That meant he would be seventy-four before he was alone again. Aaron had gotten Jason when he was a tiny fledgling. Now Aaron was just as dependant on Jason as Jason was on him.

* * *

“Do you want to lose a hand or a foot?” Aaron asked, watching Beau squirm.

“Listen, it wasn’t anything personal.”

“It feels very personal when you carve my chest up like it’s the Christmas turkey.”

Aaron circled Beau, who was tied to a chair, blood dripping from his ear. He might have battered him a bit too much getting him under control. They were in Beau’s flat which was in a dodgy part of the city. No matter how much he yelled, no one would come to bother them.

“Please, I didn’t want to do it.”

“Funny, looked like you were having the time of your life last night. Where’s my money?”

“Gone, I had some people that needed to be paid off.”

Aaron ran the knife over Beau’s cheek and smiled when he shuddered.

“Aaron, mate, please, I’ve got kids.”

“You can still be a father with one hand, it’ll just make pattycake a little awkward. But you could hi-five, so…that’s a plus.”

“Let me out of this. You’re a psycho.”

Aaron didn’t see how that was right. “You handcuff me, have sex with me, tear my room up looking for money, slice my skin, steal my money and leave me cuffed to the bed.” He had been so scared that Beau would try and hurt Jason. Thankfully, Jason hadn’t tried to attack Beau because he was sure if he had Beau would’ve have killed him.

“I didn’t do anything to you that you don’t do to yourself.”

That hurt because it was the truth, but he did that, it was his to control. Beau doing it felt like a violation, a bad one. There were going to be scars on his body that weren’t his and it felt like he was wearing someone else’s name on his body now. It made him feel disgusted, more than usual.

“Did you need money that bad to do what you did?”

“You don’t understand.”

“Make me or you lose the hand.”

“I was hired to lure you here. I knew you wouldn’t let me steal your money stand; I threw in the artwork to make you off balance.”

“What?” To lure him here. What was going on?

“It’s been a long time.”

Aaron froze, unable to force his body to work. He hadn’t seen Manya since the twins were born. His grandfather wanted to have her killed but he couldn’t do that. Maybe he should have because then the kids would have been able to grow up together.

He looked at Beau and even with everything he had done the night before he didn’t think he could betray him like this.

“Why?”

“I needed the money.”

“I hope you’re thirty pieces of silver was worth it.”

A large man with a scarred face came in and let Beau out of his ties. Manya handed him something in an envelope and he scarpered off like the rat he was. He shouldn’t have come here; he fell for a setup. Sometimes he was an idiot.

He didn’t fight when her new bodyguard pulled him to his body and put something over his face. He knew it was chloroform. It’s how he was taken last time. He would wake up in hell all over again. He just hoped she didn’t get the twins.

* * *

Butch’s mobile started to ring, and he looked to see unknown number. He answered it because he worried about wherever Aaron had gone earlier in the day. Chas had told him what happened last night, and Jacqui had called Pavel, who was on his private jet right now on his way.

“Hello?” he answered his mobile.

“Hide the girl,” a male voice said.

“What?”

“She’s coming. Hide the girl.” The line went dead after that.

“Who was that?” Jacqui asked.

“No idea. All they said was “She’s coming” and “Hide the girl” what do you think that means?”

“It means Manya has Aaron. There’s something I haven’t told you. We need to hide the kids first.”

The only place in Emmerdale that had a high-level security system was Home Farm. Chas had gone to Victoria to ask Robert if they could place the kids there until they knew what they were dealing with.

After the kids were safe at Home Farm being watched by Lawrence, Zak, Lisa and Sam. The rest of the Dingles and a couple other villagers were at the Woolpack to see what they could do to help. Butch pulled Jacqui away from everyone to speak to her.

“Tell me what you know,” he demanded.

“I promised Aaron I wouldn’t tell you. You care so much we thought it would upset you.”

“Tell me.”

“The reason Aaron didn’t give us both babies was because Manya threatened their lives. She said one day she would come for her daughter and kill the boy in front of Aaron.”

“What? How could you two keep this from me? I’ve been lied to by my son and wife, the two people I trust the most.”

That mixed in with finding out Aaron was still cutting, everything felt off kilter. He was a teenager when they found out about the cutting, but he promised to stop. Now he knew he should have gotten him help but that wasn’t really the Dingle way. Aaron was too old to make him get help when he didn’t want too now.

“You have every right to be cross with us, but Aaron needs us. Manya is a sick woman who has abused, tortured and took away what innocence he had left.”

“I could kill her with my bare hands,” he said.

“Father hasn’t done anything because she had kept her promise to stay away. She broke that promise, her life is forfeit. When we get him back, things are going to change. We’ve let him more or less raise himself. After what happened to him, we failed. We didn’t know how to take care of a child with so much pain inside. He started sleeping around when he was so young, I think now that was a side effect of everything he had been through. When we get him back, it’s time to get him help.”

He knew it was true but knew it would go down like a lead balloon with Aaron. That was if they got him back at all. He was in the hands of a killer.

* * *

“This is new,” Aaron said to absolutely no one.

This wasn’t where he was kept before, but her husband was dead now. She didn’t seem to be lacking money but that wasn’t surprising. He wasn’t out long so he didn’t think he was taken on a jet anywhere, unlike last time. As he sat alone, just thinking about what was going to happen he realized something had changed. He wasn’t thirteen anymore, he wasn’t praying his dad would break the door down and save him, that his mum would hold him and make him a milkshake like she did when he was sad. He now just hoped his death was quick.

He knew she wouldn’t know where Dimitri was, he made sure to make acquaintances of several people with son’s Dimitri’s age. So even if she had him followed, she would have no clue which one was Dimitri. His dad would die protecting Addy and his mum was a crack shot, so she wasn’t really the one to get on the wrong side of.

The door opened and Manya came in alone. That was at least good because she didn’t like to dirty her hands.

“Your family has closed ranks; they have my daughter hidden.”

He fought a smile, glad that Addy was safe. “That’s a shame.”

“It’s no problem, I’ve found your son.”

The door opened again, and her scarred bodyguard came in with…Shane Matthews. Oh god, why didn’t he think things through. Of course, the other kids’ lives would be in danger. He thought they wouldn’t know who Dimitri was so they wouldn’t take anyone, but they took the one that looked the most like him…which wasn’t Dimitri. Now he was trapped. He couldn’t tell her it wasn’t the son they conceived because she would just kill the boy.

“Leave the boy here, let them say their goodbyes.”

Manya and her bodyguard left without another word.

“Shane are you alright?”

“I want my mummy,” the boy cried.

If there is a god in heaven, please let Tom and Denise be alive. “Where did they get you?”

“When I was coming home from school,” he said with a sniffle.

That meant his parents were probably alive, thank god. He would never forgive himself if he got a completely innocent family killed. Before he was just adjusting to whatever nightmare was awaiting him. But now he had to save Shane, there wasn’t any other option. He put Shane in this position, he needed to get him out. 

“I’m going to get you out of here and back to your parents,” he told the boy.

“I want to go home.”

“You will but you have to stop crying. I know it’s hard, but we can’t give them any more reasons to be angry.”

He hated telling a child this, but he was older when he was taken and remembered the extreme punishments he got for crying. There was only one way to save the boy, it killed him to do it, but he would do anything to save a child.

Shane had fallen asleep, curled in the corner by the time Manya came back in.

“You win.”

Her smile was cruel. “I think I like this better; you weren’t much fun to play with before. Always crying like a little baby.”

“You have to let him go.”

“Do I look stupid? I let him go and you stop cooperating. You care nothing about yourself, it doesn’t help me.”

“Then all you’ll have is two dead people. But if you let him go, you get me and with that get everything you’ve always wanted.”

“What about the girl?”

“Leave her, give him back to his parents and I’ll give an heir you can raise. One that can inherit everything that is mine.”

This was her plan all those years ago. She wanted power and his grandfather had more power than her husband ten times over. Somehow, she found out he was his grandfather’s named heir. Meaning he would get everything once his grandfather died. That’s a lot of power, his mum had never wanted it. He didn’t either but he was remarkably close with his grandfather and thought it was a betrayal to turn him down. She planned when he was taken, she knew when she could conceive and helped matters with fertility drugs. He hadn’t found that part out until she was having the twins. Her plan was to kill her husband when she was pregnant and tell his grandfather she was carrying his heir’s heir.

“Deal, I want to be pregnant before I release him.”

“Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No child will be hurt in my story...besides the hurt that was already done to Aaron.


	13. Chapter 13

One thing Robert knew about Pavel Bagrov on sight…was he was a terrifying man. Somehow Robert had been roped into going with Butch, Jacqui, Chas and Cain to meet with the man at his hotel. Two scary looking blokes had met them in the lobby and took them up to the penthouse. Inside had the whole Homeland feel to it. There were two men on laptops with more hardware than he thought the police had. There were several other men and a few women sitting around a table, seeming to be planning something.

Then there was the man that was in charge. Pavel Bagrov. He had heard Aaron talk about his grandfather, in his head Robert thought maybe someone like his dad but that wasn’t right. Pavel Bagrov was a short man, a full head shorter than him. But he oozed authority and danger. He couldn’t believe this was the man that Aaron speaks so lovingly about.

“I’m glad you’re here. We need to plan to get my grandson back,” Pavel said to Jacqui.

“Is all this necessary, father?”

“Of course, it is. I’ve spoken to Mikhail; he’s taken his family into hiding and then he’ll be here to help.”

“Why would Mikhail need to take his family into hiding? I thought he left ages ago?” Butch asked.

As if something clicked in her head, Jacqui’s eyes widened. “That’s who has the boy. Aaron gave the baby boy to Mikhail.”

“I couldn’t possibly speculate.”

It looked like when Pavel ended something, it was done. Everyone started talking about strategy and where they suspected Aaron was. Robert was worried about how scared Aaron was. He had never told him about Manya, but Robert had woken him up from many nightmares and cold sweats. Some instances he had to pin Aaron’s arms down with his knees because when Aaron fought in his sleep, he fought like his life depended on it.

“Who is this?” Pavel asked, breaking Robert out of his thoughts.

“That’s Robert, he’s a mate of Aaron’s,” Chas said.

He guessed they were doing introductions while his mind was elsewhere.

“Interesting,” Pavel said. The look he was giving Robert made him feel that the older man knew more than he should. All Pavel was missing was a fluffy cat in his lap to pet.

The penthouse door opened, and several people walked in, the last being Aaron.

“Aaron!” Chas yelled before rushing towards him. She hugged him but he did not return it. Finally, she let go and stepped back, looking a little put out.

“I never get invited to the good parties,” Aaron said, walking into the room, sitting down on the sofa next to Pavel.

It was then Robert noticed he had never seen Aaron as relaxed as he was when he was near his grandfather. Even with Butch and Jacqui he always seemed to be ‘on’ but as he leaned against to older man and closing his eyes, Robert saw Aaron become a child again.

“Can I go home now?”

Robert looked behind him towards the door and saw two people he hadn’t noticed before. A scarred faced man and a little boy.

“Can someone take Shane home?” Aaron asked, not opening his eyes.

“Petra, you take the boy,” Pavel said.

“I think it would be best if both Petra and Yuri took him,” Aaron said, finally opening his eyes. Robert felt a jolt through him when Aaron looked into his eyes. Aaron told them where to take the boy. The three left and Robert wondered what would happen now.

“Who is that?” Pavel said, anger in his voice as he pointed to the scarred man.

Aaron sat up and got off the sofa with a huff. He circled everyone in the room like he was inspecting them. It was weird, in a room that Robert felt like if he breathed wrong, he would be killed, Aaron looked more comfortable than he ever had, including after sex. Aaron had told him before that he felt at home with his grandfather, Robert didn’t know exactly what that meant until now. Aaron felt safe, something he hadn’t felt since his mother left.

“This is Scar,” Aaron said with a smirk.

“Scar? What kind of name is Scar?” Pavel asked.

“My name is not Scar,” the man said darkly.

“It would’ve been awkward to ask your name when you had the knife to my throat.”

Faster than Robert thought was possible, two men had the scarred man pinned down on the ground with a gun to his head.

“That’s rude,” Aaron said. “Let him go, he did save my life and the boy’s.”

“Out with it, boy,” Pavel demanded of Aaron. While Robert would be shaking to have the look, Pavel was directing towards Aaron, all Aaron did was give him a cheeky smile.

“Fine. Manya took me and a boy she thought was her son. Spoiler alert, he wasn’t. Anyway, so she would let the boy go, I promised to marry her and give her an heir she could raise.”

“WHAT?” Robert shouted before he could control himself.

Aaron raised an eyebrow but didn’t speak to him, he went back to looking at his grandfather.

“Manya got a little ahead of herself and decided to do away with the boy because she didn’t need him anymore. While Scar would’ve killed me if she asked, he had some morals and couldn’t kill a child. He came to me and asked for a deal. I’m making deals right and left today, so I thought why the hell not.”

“Get on with it,” Butch told his son.

“He asked for a spot in the business if he helped me. I really wasn’t in the place to negotiate so I told him yes. I didn’t think you’d mind finding him a high-ranking place for saving my neck.”

“How do we know this isn’t a trick of Manya’s,” Pavel asked.

“She didn’t plan it well then because after our friend Scar over here finished with her, she was missing her head.”

There was something in Aaron’s voice that he couldn’t place. It wasn’t loss or even sadness, if he were to give it a name…pain but hidden with smartass comments.

“You killed Manya?” Pavel asked the scarred man.

“I had to; she was going to kill the boy. I’m not a good person but children are off limits.”

“Where you there when she took my grandson hostage and tortured him when he was but a boy?”

“No. I was in Chechnya at that time, I didn’t start working for Manya until last year.”

“How did you know where we were?”

“I’m very good at knowing where people are,” he said.

“Well, if my grandson offered you a job, it’s yours. Thank you for saving him, Scar.”

“My name is not Scar.”

“Too late, I’m an old man, it’s too much to learn new names. Take a seat over there, Scar.” The man grunted but did what he was told.

“Is Jason alright?” Aaron asked.

“The vet is taking care of him. He’s not doing well but will be better when you come home,” Butch said.

“You have more lives than five cats, boy,” Pavel said. “I don’t think my heart could take another. I want you to settle down. Find love, get married and have a family. You never think you deserve it, but you deserve it more than anyone. For me, try.”

Aaron looked close to tears but held them off. “I promise, I’ll try.”

* * *

Aaron stood at the doorway to his room but couldn’t go in. Memories of begging Beau to let him go, the pain and violation of his skin being sliced into. Jason screeching, scratching and getting so upset that Aaron couldn’t help him. He wouldn’t ever feel safe in this room again. Vic had stripped the bed and cleaned all the blood, but it wasn’t his room, not any longer.

“You’re not coming back, are you?” Vic asked from behind him.

“I’m sorry, I liked being your flatmate, but I can’t stay in this room anymore.”

“I get it. I’ll miss you. I know we’ve not known each other long but it’s been an adventure. Do you know what you’re going to do?”

“I’m going to take Chas up on her offer. Everyone’s right, I can’t start to get over all the pain until I forgive her. And I can’t forgive her until I know her.”

“She’s a good person who just made some mistakes. I’m glad you’re giving her a chance.”

“Yeah. It will be fun the first time Jason calls her a slapper though.”

Vic laughed and he did too. It was time for him to grow up, that meant getting the help his parents wanted him to and letting go of a lot of pain. Now all he had to do is find out how to do that.  



End file.
